Best Back-to-School Tool

Ok, so you are probably thinking it's some state-of-the-art techy calculator, or maybe a durable pair of sneakers. Nope. Brace yourselves. It's a lunchbox. Say what? Not just any lunchbox mind you. But let me start with why a lunchbox is so important in our house.

Jeremiah suffers from hangry often. He is triggered by hunger and thirst in ways that make Dracula look like an innocent bystander at an all-you-can-drink blood bank. Seriously. Before anyone knows why he is behaving the way he is, he has lost his gold star day and temper and then it's all downhill from there. I wish I was exaggerating. And he eats a lot! This is a good thing considering two years ago he was 60 pounds and not eating at all with a G-tube, so hear me when I say that I am not complaining. But let's face it, six hours is a long time to be away from a refrigerator or pantry when you are a teenage boy.

So a lunchbox is supremely important in our house. And I believe we have found the best one on the market for the money. And there were tons out there to sift through too. Dear Lord, just search lunchbox on Amazon and be prepared to scroll for thrity minutes or more. Michaela agreed with our choice and bought herself one when she graduated college and started working 10-hour shifts.

What's so great about it? Well, besides the fact that it's under $20, it's a rectangle! What's with most lunch bags with the oval bottom. Tupperware is square people! Leftovers don't fit in the bottoms of those bags without turning them sideways and risking them spilling, or worse yet, risking your peas running into your chicken and your green beans touching your mashed potatoes. Heavens no! LOL!

Second, it has a secret insulated compartment in the lid, a pouch on the front, and a netting pouch on the back...lots of room. And you can use the adjustable strap (that's not made for only vertically challenged people), or you can remove the strap and carry it by the handle on top.

Back

Insulated Pouch on Top (I can fit a whole bottle of sweet tea and two Capri Suns in here!)

Then there is this zippered pouch between the top and bottom compartments that holds the ice packs so your napkin or sandwich doesn't get soggy.

But the best part is how big the bag itself is without Jerry looking like he is carrying travel luggage to school. Here are the before and after pictures of packing his lunch inside.

If you can't tell how much I packed in there, here is what all is inside.

And if we hadn't been out of mini cans of soda, cheese sticks, and yogurts, those would be in there too! LOL! By the way, I know this looks like a lot of food, but Jerry doesn't eat breakfast before he leaves in the morning and so they let him snack when he gets hungry around 10 am. Then lunch is at noon and more snacking usually happens around 1:30! And he gets so thirsty! I pack him a mini can of soda, a 16-ounce bottle of Crystal Light, a 12-ounce greet tea, and a Capri Sun (or two). And it all fits in this bag with his lunch and snacks!

Best of all (I know I said that before), it's washable. I probably washed this bag every other week last school year. Jerry just throws his dirty utensils back in the bag when he is done or doesn't close his half-eaten bag of chips before throwing them inside and zipping the bag shut. It's always an adventure cleaning out his lunchbag after school (queue Psycho movie music).

It was the perfect bag for him starting high school. While he is not opposed to character lunchboxes and still likes Paw Patrol and Scooby Doo, this lunch bag is for big kids. It also comes in 8 different colors. Micky got a purple one.

​Anyway, that's my idea of the best back-to-school supply this year.